Attempted Billboard Permit Fraud: 460 King Street West
Daniel Pitoscia doesn’t know when to lie and when to tell the truth.
This is what Daniel’s sign at 460 King West, Global Village Backpackers, looks like:
In September 2006, Strategic Media’s Pitoscia applied for a permit to erect a somewhat smaller sign with this application:
Now notice that the sign is located within a few feet of an old Pattison Street Ad pedestal sign, and is also located within about 15 metres of a Cieslok Outdoor ground sign, now being operated by CBS, which you can see in this photo. In other words, the sign does not comply with 60M separation requirements.
In order to obtain the permit, Pitoscia lied on page two of this document where he attested that his sign was not within 60M of either a third party pedestal sign or a third party ground sign:
Section 297 10D 5(f) of the signs by law states:
In the case of a fascia sign used for the purposes of third-party advertising and located on a wall not facing a street, it is not erected on a building historically listed by Council or designated under the Ontario Heritage Act and is not erected above the fourth floor or fifteen (15) metres above grade, whichever is less;
Third party fascia signs are not permitted on listed historical buildings. If you’re going to file false information to obtain a permit for a third party fascia sign, don’t do it on a building that is listed historical, because you aren’t going to get the permit anyway. You never see any experienced ad leasing guys do stuff like this.
On October 18, 2006 the zoning examiner e-mailed Preservation Services Officer Guy Zimmerman to check the historic status of the building:
Indeed the building was listed historical in 1985:
So the examiner rejected Pitoscia’s permit application:
Strategic Media’s Diane Phan later submitted a revised plan for a 25 square metre sign that complies with size requirements in order to make a variance application. That application was never acted upon.
Of course, the sign is still there.
